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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23555692">Castle in the Air</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bobbiewickham/pseuds/bobbiewickham'>bobbiewickham</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>X-ameron [15]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Les Misérables - Victor Hugo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:54:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>518</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23555692</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bobbiewickham/pseuds/bobbiewickham</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Thénardier siblings play hide and seek.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>X-ameron [15]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1669762</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Castle in the Air</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/crimsondust/gifts">crimsondust</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for a prompt requesting the Thénardier kids being happy.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I shall count to three, and you must hide,” Éponine declared. </p><p>The field just past the city limits was full of thick bushes and looming trees, all good places to hide. But that wouldn’t stop her finding Azelma and Gavroche. She knew where and how they liked to hide, so it would be easy. </p><p>Gavroche was first. Gavroche liked closed spaces he could wriggle into where bigger people couldn’t, and he could peep out from within, and watch what they did, and laugh at them, and remember everything after. She found Gavroche in the center of a knot of brambles. He was covered with scrapes and, by the time she pushed through to him, so was she. But she sat down on the ground next to him, and laughed, and laughed. “I made a house of twigs,” he said, showing her. </p><p>Éponine picked a leaf up off the ground and placed it on the twig-house. “There, now it has a roof. Come and let’s find Azelma together.” </p><p>They squeezed out of the bushes. Gavroche was quick as a fish, but Éponine got stuck, and had to push hard to get out. “Sometimes it’s good to be smaller,” Gavroche said, and Éponine made a face at him. </p><p>Azelma was very good at finding places to hide. Éponine knew she wouldn’t be able to spot the hem of Azelma’s dress, or an elbow, or a foot, and so catch her out. No, she had to be cleverer than that. Azelma would go for a safer spot, the more cover the better: the big clump of bushes, or that gigantic tree whose roots devoured the ground. </p><p>The tree was broad and sprawling, dripping with green leaves, more like a palace than a tree, but inviting, with no gates or guards. Anyone could shelter behind its trunk or climb into its branches. Éponine somehow knew she would find Azelma there. She carefully made her way among the roots, circling the tree at its base. Gavroche followed, and they both peered upwards.</p><p>She saw nothing. Of course Azelma wouldn’t let her. But a soft rustle could be heard, out of rhythm with the wind, and Éponine clambered up quick as she could to where she heard it come from. “Caught you,” she said, grinning, as she perched on the branch next to where Azelma clung. Gavroche was fast on her heels, pulling himself up to a branch level with theirs. </p><p>The sunlight gave the green leaves all around them a golden glaze, and each branch was thick and sturdy. “We can stay here for ages and never fall, never be found,” Éponine said, leaning back against the trunk. </p><p>“<i>You</i> found me.”</p><p>“But no one else could. It’s our palace.”</p><p>“No palaces, I’m a republican and I shall have no palaces. It’s not our palace. It’s our secret clubhouse, and we won’t let anyone in who doesn’t know the password,” said Gavroche. </p><p>“It’s ours, whatever it is.” Azelma hugged her branch. “I wish we could stay here.”</p><p>“We can stay for now,” said Éponine, and they stayed until the sun went red and low.</p>
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